Our Achievements Worldwide

In May 2021 we released an exposé inside a ‘quality assured’ pig farm in Scotland, owned by a senior pig industry figure. The investigation, published exclusively by The Times, also saw huge coverage in many mainstream and local publications – reaching the hearts and minds of millions of people. We revealed a number of serious animal welfare abuses, including:

• Pigs being hammered to death.
• Pigs gasping, wriggling, and showing signs of consciousness following multiple blows to the head.
• Piglets routinely slammed onto the concrete floor in an attempt to kill those deemed too weak or small to be profitable.
• Mother pigs suffering from months or years of forced impregnation, with their uterus or internal organs painfully protruding outside of their bodies. 

Scottish actress and filmmaker Karen Gillan, showed her support for the campaign by urging her 7 million Instagram followers to sign the petition to call for better protections for pigs. 

Because of the gravity of what we documented, the owner of the farm – a former member of the board of assurance scheme, Quality Meat Scotland – resigned from his chairman position and the farm was removed from the scheme.

In March 2021, Animal Equality launched a new campaign alongside fellow UK animal organisations and TV conservationist and activist, Chris Packham, calling on UK supermarkets to sign up to a set of minimum welfare standards for chickens called the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC). 

Chris launched a petition which has garnered over 185,000 signatures and counting! Our important campaign has been covered on Sky News and in The Mirror, generating further support up and down the country.

One month into the public campaign, we began focusing efforts on Morrisons, following its misleading announcement that it would launch a range of chicken meat which met BCC standards, instead of meeting the BCC across all chicken meat products that they sell. A commitment from all UK supermarkets to sign the BCC will impact an estimated 800 million chickens every year.

In March 2021, Animal Equality supported an international campaign as part of the Open Wing Alliance (a global coalition against cages that includes Animal Equality) calling on Hard Rock to release a cage-free commitment. While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, it’s an important change for the millions of hens confined by the industry every year.

With 181 cafes, 25 hotels, and 11 casinos around the world, a cage-free policy would make a substantial impact for hens currently trapped in the system.

• Three men pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offences which took place while they were employed at Fir Tree pig farm in Lincolnshire. The convictions result from an investigation released by Animal Equality, which captured footage of repeated and deliberate violent abuse of pigs by the farm workers.
• Shocking cruelty to cows and calves documented by Animal Equality investigators results in the conviction of a dairy farm worker.
• Shocking cruelty documented by Animal Equality results in the closure of Harling Farm and the prosecution of its workers for animal cruelty.

In February 2020, Animal Equality released an investigation revealing the cruel and dangerous operations of factory farms from inside a pig farm in northern Italy. Animal Equality brought Italian journalist Roberta Spinelli to a farm in Brescia – a region that markets its products with the stamp of “Excellence Made in Italy.”  

Based on our findings, a formal complaint against the owners of the farm was delivered to the Prosecutor’s Office of Brescia. In addition, a petition was launched urging the Government to conduct more frequent and effective controls in order to ensure compliance with the country’s rules on hygiene and animal welfare. The UK currently imports many pig-meat products from Italy – such as Parma prosciutto, Mortadella and Italian Salami, making this relevant not only for Italian consumers but also consumers in the UK.

In February 2020, Animal Equality conducted an investigation to expose how animals are raised and killed in wet markets. Following our findings, we launched a worldwide campaign and petition calling on the United Nations (UN) to close wet markets across the globe with immediate effect. The petition reached over 500,000 signatures. 

In April 2021 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a guide in which it acknowledged the significant health risks associated with wet markets and called for a ban on the sale of wild mammals for consumption. Recent research carried out by the World Health Organisation in fact, revealed that some of the earliest known cases of COVID-19 can be linked back to a wholesale food market, with many of the initial patients being stall owners, market employees, or regular visitors to the market.

In California in the United States in 2018, we achieved one of the most progressive animal welfare reforms the world has ever seen. Working alongside other animal protection organisations, we successfully campaigned for Proposition 12 to be passed which banned the use of cages for all farmed animals raised in California, as well as for products imported into and sold in California.

After only three years since Animal Equality started its work in India, in 2014 we secured a victory of global significance, making India the first country in the world to ban cruel foie gras. In 2012, we carried out an investigation into the foie gras industry in the EU and presented an extensive report to the Indian government. Following two years of campaigning, the government announced that foie gras was to be completely prohibited.

In Brazil, we have used drones to capture investigative footage uncovering the links between animal agriculture and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, a major issue for the health of our planet.

And in 2019, we adopted a new strategic approach in Italy, suing one of Italy’s largest meat producers, Amadori, for misleading advertising, and forcing them to change their communication to consumers. 

In 2020, we used this same approach in the US, filing official complaints against agribusiness giants, Tyson and Cargill, and leading pet food supplier, Champion Petfoods, with Champion Petfoods agreeing to correct its advertising as a result.